Merry Harriers Garden Centre, near Bideford, North Devon. Check the current address and directions before travelling.
The Gnome Reserve at Merry Harriers
Unusual place
Place photograph
5.6
Wildland
Under 1 hour
Time
Free
Cost
Quirky
Feel
Why it's Wildland
5.6After more than 40 years at its original North Devon home, the Gnome Reserve’s residents have found a new setting at Merry Harriers: a free-to-visit gathering of more than 2,000 gnomes.
This is an unusually playful garden visit, not a wilderness reserve: its appeal lies in the sheer eccentricity of a gnome community relocated after decades at its original home. The garden-centre setting offers a simple, distinctive stop, though current details and the experience available at the new site should be checked before travelling.
Quirky · Family-buzz
Find your way
Open mapMerry Harriers Garden Centre, near Bideford, North Devon. Check the current address and directions before travelling.
Opening map…
Know this place a little better?
The experience
Keep the visit simple: see the gnome collection and, if the garden-centre restaurant is open, consider making time for a meal. The current location is a relocation, so do not rely on older descriptions of the original reserve’s layout or facilities.
Things to do
Explore the gnome display
Take a leisurely look around the relocated collection and spot its individual scenes and characters. The current host says more than 2,000 gnomes have settled in at Merry Harriers.
Look for “Gnomio and Juliet”
The current host singles out a display called “Gnomio and Juliet” among the gnomes’ new-home scenes.
Make a day of it
Quick escape · Allow around 1 hour; the current site does not publish a visit duration.
Quick gnome wander
- 01
Check that the gnomes are open before travelling; Merry Harriers describes seasonal access, weather permitting.
- 02
Wander through the gnome display and look for its individual scenes.
- 03
If open, consider the garden-centre restaurant, which the host mentions.
Verified history
The original Gnome Reserve was established by artist Ann Atkins in 1979. A 2022 video description says the original site was sold in 2020 and the gnomes were relocated. Merry Harriers now presents the collection as having found a new home there. Older accounts describe the original reserve, so its former layout and features should not be treated as a description of the current site.
Hidden details
A new home for the collection — The present display is a relocation: older reporting concerns the former West Putford reserve, while Merry Harriers describes the gnomes’ new home at its garden centre.
When to go
April · May · June · July · August · September · October · No quieter or best time of day is confirmed for the current site. Check opening arrangements before travelling.
Merry Harriers describes seasonal access from Easter to the end of October half term, weather permitting. Older seasonal information relates to the former reserve and should not be assumed to describe the relocated display.
The current host says access is weather permitting. Check before travelling.
Worth pairing with
Merry Harriers Garden Centre restaurant
The host mentions a restaurant and outdoor seating by the lake, making it a possible meal pairing when open. Confirm current service details.
What to look for
- 01
Look for the gnomes’ individual scenes and characters. The current host highlights a display called “Gnomio and Juliet”
- 02
the older reserve’s original woodland, stream and wildflower features should not be assumed to exist at the new site.
The story
Garden eccentricity; the collection’s relocation
Best time to go
The Merry Harriers page says the gnomes are open to visitors from Easter until the end of October half term, weather permitting. Verify dates before visiting.
The current host describes seasonal access from Easter to the end of October half term, weather permitting. Check directly for the day’s opening and conditions.
How long to spend
Under 1 hour
Perfect for
Families · Young children · Photographers
Practical information
Opening & access
The gnomes have relocated to Merry Harriers and the garden centre says visitors can see them for free, seven days a week, seasonally and weather permitting. Check current visitor information before setting out.
Check before visiting
Parking
Check before visiting; current parking information is not confirmed by the supplied sources.
Check before visiting
Toilets
Check before visiting.
Check before visiting
Food & drink
Merry Harriers mentions an on-site restaurant and outdoor seating by the lake. Check current opening and service details.
Check before visiting
Dogs
Check before visiting.
Check before visiting
Accessibility
Check before visiting; current path and wheelchair-access information is not confirmed by the supplied sources.
Check before visiting
Cost
Free
Water
A lake is mentioned at Merry Harriers; this does not establish permission for swimming or paddling.
Gallery
Place photographs
Keep exploring
Around The Gnome Reserve at Merry Harriers
Within 50 km · approximate straight-line distances
